Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
World
Fiona Leishman

Man chopped in half by forklift bravely goes swimming as wife 'panics' when he goes under

A man who was chopped in half by a forklift and had his entire lower body amputated has bravely started swimming again, but had a terrifying moment while swimming with his wife.

Montana man Loren Schauers, 21, lost three limbs and faced a long road to recovery after being crushed by the truck in September 2019. He made the brave decision to let doctors perform a hemicorporectomy - amputating everything below his waist to save his life.

But he won't let his injuries or loss of limbs stop him from living life, even if it means his wife gets a scare in the process.

A video shows Loren swimming alongside wife, Sabia, with the help of an inflatable ring. While testing how much he could float, he slipped off the ring, shocking his wife.

Loren has shown he won't let his injuries stop him from living his life (Sabia and Loren/youtube)

In the video, Sabia is heard saying: "Don't hit your head!"

She's previously explained that she panics when he goes underwater, as he only has one full working arm.

"As I was swimming, she let me go once and I can hold myself up for a second paddling," explained Loren.

"I can rotate and stuff and catch my breath so she doesn't need to stop me."

Loren and wife Sabia share their journey with followes on Instagram and YouTube (instagram.com/sabia.mistral)

In the video he can be seen lying with his head on a chair in the water, saying: "Do you see how the waves are just rocking me back and forth?"

He goes on to say that being rocked in the water feels good for his pain. Before getting back into the inflatable and enjoying spending time in the water.

Photos from the accident showed the terrifying situation after Loren got too close to the edge of a bridge due to traffic while working in the forklift.

While inside the forklift, he fell 50ft, severing his arm and crushing his lower body.

Since the accident, Loren has been documenting his road to recovery, showing how he's adapting to his new life and sharing intimate details of his experiences in weekly YouTube vlogs.

Devoted wife Sabia Reiche, 23, has stayed by his side throughout his health problems, helping him perform daily tasks. She was just 19 when the accident happened, and said goodbye to her then boyfriend multiple times as she was warned by doctors he wouldn't make it.

Loren shared the chilling pictures from the accident on Instagram (Loren Schauers/Instagram)

Sabia helps Loren with his mobility issues, including changing his colostomy bags and helping him shower. Despite all the work the couple have done to show how their lives have changed and how they have adapted, they still get pestered about their sex life.

Sabia called the question "disrespectful".

"A question we get repeatedly is how do we have sex and how do we become intimate," she said.

Loren Schauers in hospital after the accident (Loren Schauers / SWNS)
Loren shares his journey and recovery with followers on social media (loren.schauers / Instagram)

"That is a very personal question that we are never going to answer or allude to as it's very disrespectful.

"You wouldn't ask a random couple on the street how they have sex and just because our life circumstances are different, it doesn't give people the right to ask."

After the accident, his family were left with the life-changing decision of whether to ask doctors to save him by performing the hemicorporectomy.

Loren and Sabia before the accident (instagram.com/loren.schauers)
The construction worker made the brave decision to let surgeons perform a hemicorporectomy - where everything below his waist was amputated (Loren Schauers / SWNS)

Loren had and told his family to keep him alive even if he was just a "head on a plate."

While they were debating whether to perform the life-saving, but life-changing, operation, Loren regained consciousness and spoke for himself. He looked doctors "dead in the eye" and asked for the operation.

Loren has taken to his YouTube vlogs to share his experience, talking of the "phantom pain" he feels from his missing limbs, as well as how medication has helped or not, and how day-to-day life looks for the couple.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.